Newbies – 5 Special Craft Beers You Need To Check Out

American Craft Beer|February 9th, 2016|

So many beers- So little time… Winter is not going anywhere, anytime soon, and with that comes the beers of the season. And we’ve a number of interesting offerings that you’ll want to chase down…We’ve also some new releases from Flying Dog and Stone Brewing that sounds serious as well.

Anchor Springs Forward (San Francisco, CA) – Anchor Brewing is returning a popular spring seasonal, that generated all kinds of love, last year. Anchor Saison Spring Ale (7.2% ABV) is a traditional Belgian-style Saison with a California twist. For this release, Anchor chose three California ingredients–lemongrass, lemon peel, and ginger–to add a tangy crispness and herbal spiciness to the mix. This uniquely Californian Saison is rolling out now in the Golden State – so you know what to do!

A Modern-Day Throwback (Escondido, CA) – Stone has a new limited seasonal that they refer to as a “modern-day throwback.” Brewed with an abundant dose of whole -roasted coffee beans from San Diego-based roaster Ryan Bros. Coffee, Stone Americano Stout is an 8.7% Imperial that’s been smoothly nuanced with espresso.

It’s An Anniversary Bitch (Frederick, MD) – Flying Dog just released a special 25th anniversary beer that’s a pin on Raging Bitch, one of that brewery’s most popular offerings. Flying Dog Tropical Bitch is an 8% ABV Belgian-style IPA that was brewed with pineapple, mango and passion fruit.

Labor Of Love (St Louis, MO) Schlafly Beer has a new year-round IPA variant that we can’t get our hands on. Brewed with fresh grapefruit purée and an abundance of Simcoe and Citra hops, Schlafly Grapefruit IPA is a 5% ABV blast of summer that will help you weather the winter as well.

Watermelon Dosed (San Diego, CA) – Ballast Point has been playing around with some of their flagships of late, and they’ve just introduced a new take on one of their popular “Imperials” that might interest you. Ballast Point Watermelon Dorado is their popular 10% ABV Double India Pale Ale, blasted out of its mind, with natural watermelon flavor.